


Whenever You Need Me

by LadyM_17



Series: Swinging Alone [2]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Crushes, Loneliness, M/M, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28229112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyM_17/pseuds/LadyM_17
Summary: Cyrus needs that breather.
Relationships: Background Friendship Dynamics, Cyrus Goodman/T. J. Kippen
Series: Swinging Alone [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066751
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	Whenever You Need Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jc](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Jc).



> Jc wanted more so here it is!  
> I really loved Libby as a character in the show-- wish we had more of her because she was awesome and artsy. This is my first time writing a deaf character— I hope I did okay— if you have any feedback let me know <3
> 
> Content Warnings: Loneliness, Social Exhaustion (is that the right phrasing?)  
> Lemme know if you think anything else should be included and take care of yourself!

“Wow! So this is Andi’s school.” Marty spun around slowly taking it all in.

“It's a lot,” Jonah agreed, remembering his first time seeing it.

“What do you think TJ?” Cyrus asked.

TJ glanced down at him. “I think it’s amazing. I’ll bet Andi really loves it here.”

“She does,” Jonah said. “And she’s made some great stuff here.”

“Yeah, I got to see the piece she has up today- it’s amazing!” Cyrus said.

“Well, I can’t wait to see it,” Marty said.”If it’s anything like half the stuff here it’s going to be fantastic!”

“I can’t imagine how people can make this stuff.” TJ said staring at a student’s sculpture. “I could never.”

“Well some people would say the same thing about basketball, Teej, but it is pretty amazing.” Cyrus joined him in looking at the sculpture: it was a fairy-like figure, impossibly detailed.

TJ grinned. It had been almost two weeks since Cyrus had reconnected with the rest of them and, while Cyrus probably hadn’t noticed, that had been the first time Cyrus had called him Teej. He slung his arm around the boy as they followed Jonah to where Andi had said her project would be.

“There she is!” Marty was the first to spot her.

“Cyrus! Jonah! I’m so glad you two could make it!” Andi gave them both excited hugs.

“What’re we chopped liver?” TJ joked.

Andi rolled her eyes. “It’s good to see you both, too. Oh! You haven’t met Walker or Libby, have you?”

Marty shook his head as Andi went to pull her two friends over. “Well this is Walker and this is Libby.”

“Libby, Walker, this is Marty and T.J.” Andi slowed down as she spoke, struggling to sign simultaneously.

“Are you deaf?” Marty signed.

“You know sign?” Walker asked as Libby signed:

“I’m deaf.”

“A little,” Marty said, clumsily signing along. “It’s not good.”

“Hey, you’re doing better than I did at first, man,” Jonah said, taking a moment to translate for Libby, who burst out laughing and signed in agreement.

“I know the alphabet!” TJ said. “Well… some of it.”

“Better than nothing,” Libby signed after Cyrus had translated what TJ said.

“I’ll learn,” TJ promised. “I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other.”

“Oh absolutely,” Andi said, pausing to fingerspell the word. “You’re going to have a hard time getting rid of us now you’re back.”

Cyrus blinked, other people had missed TJ, that was nice.

“Andi, why don’t you show us your piece,” Jonah suggested.

“Do you two have stuff on display?” Marty asked Walker, attempting to sign what he was saying, but in the end, having to default to Walker’s interpreting skills.

“Yeah,” Libby signed. “We’ll show you later.”

Marty frowned. “I got the will! And the yes! And show!” He said. “I think I understand,” he signed.

Libby grinned at his excitement, it was adorable.

As the group traveled around the exhibition, a fervent mix of sign, speech, interpretation, and laughs, Cyrus fell silent. It had been a while since he was around this many friends — and he loved it, don’t get him wrong— but it was exhausting all of a sudden. Like it had been that first day but worse. He loved Libby and Walker and all of them, but it was just so much all of a sudden, and he needed to get out. He loved them but he just couldn’t.

Cyrus tugged on TJ’s sleeve, he knew the other boy would understand. TJ turned away from where Andi was showing them a piece that had been made by another friend of hers. “Cy?”

“I can’t,” Cyrus muttered. “Overwhelmed.”

TJ nodded. “Cyrus is just going to show me where the bathroom is,” he whispered to Marty, before placing his hand between Cyrus’s shoulder blades to guide him through the room.

TJ paused as they left the hall, not sure what Cyrus needed, but Cyrus kept walking towards the school’s exit, so he followed.

“Cy, Cyrus, what do you need?”

“I need to be alone.” Cyrus’s voice was shaky.

“I’m not so sure if that’s a good idea, Cy.”

“I need it, I just can’t right now, please Teej.”

TJ nodded. “Okay, go do what you need to do, I’ll make your excuses. But, please, let me know if you need anything, okay? You don’t have to deal with your stuff on your own, you know that, right?”

Cyrus nodded. “Thank you, Teej.”

“No problem,” TJ said to Cyrus’s back as he basically ran away.

* * *

Cyrus leaned against the chain holding the swing up, it felt odd being alone like this, but familiar. He wasn’t sure if he liked it, but he didn’t think he didn’t like it. It was a series of contradictions where everything felt horrible, so he might as well follow Newton’s laws and remain alone until something forced him otherwise.

The thing that forced him otherwise was TJ., who, truthfully, had been walking around the park for hours making sure Cyrus was okay while still giving him his space. He had made their excuses to the rest of the group before going to the park where he knew he would find Cyrus and waited for Cyrus to get up and leave before he himself went home, but Cyrus never had, and as it got darker TJ finally walked over to the swings and sat down next to him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Cyrus didn’t say anything else so TJ tried again.

“I know you said you wanted to be left alone but, well, I was worried about you, it’s getting late.”

Cyrus glanced at the sky like he was just seeing it again. “Huh.”

“Yeah, huh, you wanna let me in on what’s going on in that head of yours?”

Cyrus shrugged. “It was weird, being around that many… friends.” The word felt weird on his tongue.

“Weird?”

“Like, not bad, just new, a lot.”

“Cyrus… being with friends is new?”

“That many, I guess. I mean we all didn’t really hang out too much at the start of high school, I guess I just got used to the feeling.”

“You got used to the feeling,” TJ echoed, not liking where this conversation was going.

“Of being alone.” Cyrus looked up at him. “It wasn’t a good feeling but neither was being with everyone, I loved it, I love you all, but it was like being with everyone was too much and not being with everyone before was too little and it was all horrible!”

“Oh Cyrus, was this your new stuff?” TJ asked.

Cyrus nodded. “I love spending time with everyone but I just… couldn’t.”

“That’s okay, Cyrus, it’s okay to be tired.”

“I don’t want to be alone again, though.”

“Cyrus, you of all people should know that all dichotomies are false dichotomies, it’s notjust being alone or overwhelmed.”

“Did you just quote Hank Green at me?”

TJ shrugged. “Maybe.”

Cyrus was grinning.

“What? You were right, he was good, you happy?”

“Very.”

“And he’s right, just because you got overwhelmed today, doesn’t mean you have to be alone… again,” TJ paused as the full meaning of that word hit him. “You didn’t have to be alone ever.”

“What?”

“At the beginning of high school, you said you were alone then… shoot.”

“What?”

"I should’ve realized.”

“TJ, what’re you talking about?”

“Cyrus, you didn’t have to be alone. I would’ve been there with you. I thought you knew that.”

Cyrus gave a small laugh. “Well, you were always with Kira, and I know we texted, but I just never felt like I could just walk up to you, you know? Not like when we were in middle school.”

TJ nodded. “I should’ve walked up to you.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but just to make it clear, if you’re feeling lonely, or need me for anything, even if you think it’s small, I’m there. I don’t care what I’m doing, or who I’m hanging out with, I’m here for you, whenever you need me.”

“Thank you.”

“As long as you know it.”

They swung in silence for a while, before their phones lit up with texts. It was Andi in a group chat asking if they all wanted to meet up for ice cream tomorrow. Everyone was saying yes.

TJ tilted his head and looked at Cyrus, asking a silent question.

“I don’t want to go,” Cyrus said, “But I don’t want to let them down.”

“Hey, you’re not letting anyone down if you don’t feel up for it. That’s okay. We still care about you.”

Cyrus nodded and shakily typed out and sent his reply, which was met with speedy hearts and promises to see him at school or later on when he was feeling better.

“See?” TJ said, “No harm done, we still all love you just the same.”

There was a pause as the two realized that TJ had just implied he loved Cyrus: Cyrus wondering if that would ever be more than platonic and TJ wondering if Cyrus knew it might be more than platonic.

“Thanks, Teej, I really needed that.”

“No problem. I’ll walk you home if you’re ready to go?”

“I’d like that.”

“C’mon then, we don’t need to worry your parents more than they already are.”

“Oh god, I forgot all about them!”

“Don’t worry, I let them know where you were.”

“You’re the best.”

“I know.” TJ grinned as Cyrus laughed and the two walked home. 

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not entirely sure if Marty would’ve met Walker at this point, I feel like he might’ve at some point during the show but I’m too lazy check so we’re gonna go with no because fanfic. 
> 
> I hope you have a lovely day!


End file.
